Holiday homework - Evaluating skills development

Evaluating Skills Development

During A2 fortnight we re-created three 30 second clips from three different music videos. My group selected to recreate: Bruno Mars’ lazy song, Paolo Nutini’s new shoes and One Directions’ kiss you. Through creating these three music videos we developed a number of different skills that will help us when producing our A2 coursework and also taught us a lot about the process of creating a music video.

Some of the things I have learnt through the creation of these videos are: time management, the importance of planning and rehearsal, and finally the difference between music videos depending on their genre and subsequently their target audience. In regards to time management I learnt that I needed to make sure that there is enough time to plan, rehearse and then film the video. I also learnt that, in the future, I need to take into consideration the possibility of mistakes being made, and therefore allow enough time for numerous takes of the same shot to gain the best and most accurate shot possible. With planning and rehearsal it soon became clear that this was the most important factor of the video making. I learnt that practising the dance routines and lip-synching well in advance to filming saved time further down the line and made filming the video much easier and quicker. Similarly to this making sure that everyone knew what they were doing and handing specific roles to each individual speeded up the process and made it quicker to achieve high quality results. Furthermore the planning of props and costume helped when came to filming as they were already in place and ready to go. Finally our planning helped when it came to post-production as we had captured some of the footage needed in our own time at home, so it moved us onto the post-production stage quicker meaning that we could spend longer on editing, therefore creating a higher standard piece of work. During the process we also learnt about the difference in genres of music and how that affects the music videos created for them. Paolo Nutini’s video had a much slower editing pace with longer duration of shots, as it was a much-chilled song, although still upbeat and happy. However the One Direction and Bruno Mars videos both had a much quicker editing pace with more shots throughout due to their pop/ mainstream origins. Furthermore costume and props also clearly contrasted. Paolo Nutini in his video wears scruffy, worn clothes and is not presented as attractive. Whereas One Direction and Bruno Mars are much more groomed due to the difference in their target audience. However both Bruno Mar and One Direction wear silly costumes during their videos suggesting they are trying to appeal to a younger, slightly less mature audience.  This will help me create the right type of video for the music I selected during my A2 coursework.

 

Throughout the process I also developed a few skills in cinematography and editing. Due to creating a film opening for my AS coursework I already had many skills when it came to filming and editing the music videos, however some of the new skills I learnt include using the track when filming, creating split screens, changing the opacity of the footage during editing and importing stills into the videos. I also had to edit the sound and image in sync, which I had not previously had to do. Other skills I developed included lip synching and acting, both of which play a crucial part when trying to produce a professional looking music video. One issue we had when trying to film the music videos was trying to fit everything in frame without loosing any detail. Subsequently we developed our problem solving skills and had to overcome issues that a raised during the process. This has prepared us for when we create our own music videos, to be aware that issues you may not have previously considered may occur, and we will have to make sure we have time to find solutions.

By creating these three 30 second clips we are now more aware of how to go about creating our own coursework. It has helped because I now know I need to do detailed research into the genre of music I will be creating the music video for and look for generic themes and ideas. I will need to select an appropriate location, actors and costume and props. I will have to think about the editing pace of the video to make sure it is parallel with the genre and make sure it will appeal to the target audience. I have also learnt that I will need to be careful with time management and make sure that I can complete the task to a high standard in the time I have to do it, this will mean I will need to plan my video thoroughly and make sure it is well rehearsed before I start filming. Furthermore I will need to create a detailed storyboard and shot list to be organised and save time. I also realised during the creation of these small music videos that most time will be spent on editing and post-production, so therefore I will need to plan to leave plenty of time to be able to edit my footage to a high standard.

In conclusion the process of creating these three 30 second clips has helped me to develop and enhance my skills, taught me about the importance of planning and time management and has prepared me to be able to create a high standard music video.